Paul Pierce Opts Out From Wizards
JUNE 29TH, 3:29pm: Pierce has officially opted out, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
JUNE 27TH, 2:43pm: Pierce has confirmed his decision via The Players’ Tribune (Twitter link).
JUNE 20TH, 5:07pm: Wizards forward Paul Pierce plans to opt out of his deal with the team for the 2015/16 campaign, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports, though he intends to continue to play in the NBA next season, a source told Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The veteran has a player option worth $5,543,725 that he’s poised to bypass, and doing so would make him an unrestricted free agent come July 1st. Pierce was non-committal regarding whether or not he would return for an 18th season in the wake of Washington’s elimination from the NBA playoffs.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Pierce said at the time. “I don’t even know if I am going to play basketball anymore. These seasons get harder and harder every year, every day. Summers get even harder when you start getting back in shape. I’m 37 years old. I’m top two or three oldest in the league.” Pierce had indicated that he would take some time and discuss the matter with his family before making his call on next season. “I have been playing this game [for] like 32 years. Since I was a little kid. Probably going to be the hardest thing to do is put the game down. But I know that time is coming one day. I am not sure if it is this year or next year. I will sit down with my family and figure things out,” Pierce said.
The question now is which team Pierce will suit up for in 2015/16, with Castillo writing that he’ll either re-sign with the Wizards or join his former coach Doc Rivers in Los Angeles with the Clippers. The Clippers can offer Pierce the taxpayer mid-level exception worth slightly less than $3.4MM, while Washington could offer Pierce a new deal starting in excess of $6MM once he opts out, Stein notes. The interest is mutual between the Clippers and Pierce, a league source told Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram earlier this month.
The link between the Clippers and Pierce dates back to last year, as Pierce informed TNT’s David Aldridge this past fall that he saw the Clippers as his favored alternative to re-signing with the Nets before sign-and-trade talks between the Clips and Brooklyn broke down. Pierce has also said that he feels a connection with the younger players on the Wizards and with the city of Washington.
Pierce appeared in 73 contests for the Wizards this past season, averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 26.2 minutes per night. His career numbers through 1,250 games are 20.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.74 APG. The 37-year-old’s shooting numbers are .447/.371/.806.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Sullinger, Tokoto
Members of the Knicks’ front office were involved in trade discussions with the Magic, Suns, and Celtics in the hours leading up to Thursday night’s NBA Draft, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Boston discussed a package that included multiple draft picks and Jared Sullinger with New York, and Phoenix also spoke with members of the Knicks about a trade involving Eric Bledsoe in the hours leading up to the draft, Begley adds. Team president Phil Jackson said the Knicks had talked to teams about potential offers but all the offers were contingent on which players were selected ahead of them, the ESPN scribe notes. “Those things fell the way they did. We had what we wanted and we went with it,” Jackson said.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher indicated that finding frontcourt help will be a priority once the free agent signing period begins, Begley also relays. “I don’t think it’s any secret we need to get some size up front, and I think that’ll be a big focus for us,” Fisher said. Potential targets include DeAndre Jordan, David West, Omer Asik, Greg Monroe, and Marc Gasol, Begley adds.
- In addition to a pair of second round draft picks, the Nets also sent $880K to the Hornets as part of the deal to acquire the rights to Argentinian small forward Juan Vaulet, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily tweets. Brooklyn doesn’t intend for Vaulet to play in the NBA next season, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
- According to multiple sources, the Sixers nabbed North Carolina swingman J.P. Tokoto with the No. 58 overall pick with the understanding that he would either play in the D-League or overseas next season, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers reports (Twitter links). Tokoto will have the chance to compete for a roster spot, but told Philly he would be open to being stashed during the 2015/16 campaign, Fischer adds.
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The Greivis Vasquez trade allowed the Raptors to generate a $6.4MM trade exception, since they gave him up without taking back any salary in return, notes Pincus (on Twitter), though with Toronto possessing only about $42.4MM in guaranteed salary for next season, it seems there’s a fair chance they’ll dip under the cap after the July Moratorium and renounce the exception.
- The Nets could have created a $1,357,080 trade exception for Mason Plumlee if they decided to use their $2,339,131 Kevin Garnett trade exception to absorb Steve Blake, as Pincus presumes they’ve done (Twitter link). That would knock the Garnett exception down to $982,051. Alternatively, they could have taken Blake into the $3,326,235 Andrei Kirilenko exception and reduced its value to $1,969,155, a move the Nets might have preferred because the Kirilenko exception expires more than two months sooner than the Garnett exception does. The trade meanwhile allowed the Blazers to create an exception worth the $719,920 difference between the salaries of Blake and Plumlee, though that exception would vanish if they go under the cap, as they may well do if LaMarcus Aldridge ends up elsewhere.
- The tiny $355,016 leftover portion of the trade exception that the Knicks generated in last year’s Tyson Chandler trade has expired. New York used the bulk of what was once a $3,637,073 exception to acquire Alexey Shved at the trade deadline. The Tim Hardaway Jr. trade afforded the Knicks the chance to create a new $1,250,640 exception for his salary, as we noted, though that will disappear if the Knicks dip below the cap next month, as expected.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
2015/16 Roster Counts: Miami Heat
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Heat’s roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Miami’s roster.
(Last Updated 4-12-16, 1:15pm)
Fully Guaranteed (15)
- Chris Bosh (F) — 6’11″/31 years old. Acquired via sign-and-trade from Raptors.
- Luol Deng (F) — 6’9″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
- Goran Dragic (G) — 6’3″/29 years old. Acquired via trade from Suns.
- Gerald Green (G/F) — 6’8″/29 years old. Free agent signing.
- Udonis Haslem (F) — 6’8″/35 years old. Free agent signing.
- Joe Johnson (F) — 6’7″/34 years old. Free agent signing.
- Tyler Johnson (G) — 6’3″/23 years old. Free agent signing.
- Josh McRoberts (F) — 6’10″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
- Josh Richardson (G/F) — 6’6″/21 years old. Drafted with the No. 40 overall pick in 2015.
- Amar’e Stoudemire (F/C) — 6’10″/32 years old. Free agent signing.
- Dwyane Wade (G) — 6’4″/33 years old. Drafted with the No. 5 overall pick in 2003.
- Briante Weber (G) — 6’2″/23 years old. Free agent signing.
- Hassan Whiteside (C) — 7’0″/26 years old. Free agent signing.
- Justise Winslow (F) — 6’6″/19 years old. Drafted with the No. 10 overall pick in 2015.
- Dorell Wright (F) — 6’9″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- None
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (15)
And-Ones: Looney, Koponen, Plumlee
The Trail Blazers were extremely high on Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but could not pass on adding a starting-caliber player like Mason Plumlee, whom the team acquired from the Nets in exchange for Hollis Jefferson and Steve Blake, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes. “We really like Rondae. He’s a terrific young player,” Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said. “But we just felt like, based on some of the moves we have to make [and] some of the uncertainly regarding some of our unrestricted free agents, the opportunity to get a dynamic young center that’s a little bit more accomplished, that we know we can put on the floor this fall, that can help you win games but still has a tremendous upside because of his age and his athleticism, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The NBA is proceeding with a plan to seed playoff teams one through eight in each conference regardless of division starting with 2015/16, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
- The reason that talented UCLA forward Kevon Looney lasted until the Warriors nabbed him with the 30th overall pick is that he was red-flagged with a degenerative back as well as a hip issue, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. Looney may require surgery at some point in his career as a result, Givony adds.
- There’s only a 10% chance that Finnish guard Petteri Koponen signs with the Mavericks this offseason, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com relays (on Twitter). Dallas holds the rights to Koponen, who was selected with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hoops Rumors Originals 6/21/15-6/27/15
Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- Arthur Hill looked at the offseason ahead for the Knicks.
- Zach Links interviewed UCLA shooting guard Norman Powell, and LSU big man Jordan Mickey. Mickey was taken with the No. 33 overall pick, while Powell was selected 46th overall during Thursday’s NBA Draft.
- Chuck Myron broke down the offseason ahead for the Cavaliers, while Will Joseph looked at the Kings, and Dana Gauruder the Warriors. You can view the complete series of offseason outlooks here.
- I reviewed the draft pick history of Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.
- If you missed the week’s live chat you can view the transcript here.
- Chris Crouse examined the free agent stock of the Bucks’ Khris Middleton.
- I ran down the Bucks’ 2015/16 roster count.
- We released our final mock draft, as well as our 2015 NBA Draft primer.
- Mark Porcaro caught us up on the international transfer market.
- I answered reader questions in Hoops Rumors’ Weekly Mailbag.
- Zach highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- If you missed our draft night chat you can view the transcript here.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
- We reviewed out commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
Week In Review 6/21/15-6/27/15
The Timberwolves shocked no one when they selected Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. But despite the lack of drama to kick off the big event, there were certainly a number of surprises as the night moved along. The Lakers passed on Duke big man Jahlil Okafor to nab Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell with the second pick, and the Knicks bypassed a number of NBA-ready prospects to take Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4 overall. Duke forward Justise Winslow fell into the Heat’s lap at No. 10, and the Celtics may have reached a bit when they grabbed Louisville point guard Terry Rozier with the 16th pick. Those were just a few of the mock draft busting choices made on draft night, and you can view the complete list of draft selections here.
There were also a number of minor deals consummated on draft day, but no major stars changed teams as had been widely anticipated. This sets up what should be an active offseason for quite a few franchises, and an entertaining and potentially agonizing summer for fans as players change addresses. Here’s the rest of the happenings from the week that was:
Trades
- The Grizzlies acquired Luke Ridnour from the Magic in exchange for the rights to 2013 second-round pick Janis Timma. Memphis then shipped Ridnour to the Hornets for Matt Barnes.
- The Hornets acquired Nicolas Batum from the Hornets in exchange for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson.
- The Knicks acquired the rights to 35th overall pick Guillermo Hernangomez from the Sixers in exchange for two future second round picks. Hernangomez is expected to play overseas during the 2015/16 campaign.
- The Grizzlies dealt Jon Leuer to the Suns in exchange for the rights to No. 44 pick Andrew Harrison.
- The Jazz sent the rights to the No. 54 pick, Spanish small forward Daniel Diez, to the Blazers in exchange for cash.
- The Nets acquired the rights to Argentian small forward Juan Vaulet from the Hornets in exchange for Brooklyn’s 2019 second-round pick, a 2018 second-round pick and cash.
- The Timberwolves acquired the rights to Tyus Jones from the Cavaliers in exchange for the draft rights to Cedi Osman and Rakeem Christmas, as well as a 2019 second-rounder.
- The Nets dealt Mason Plumlee and the rights to Notre Dame shooting guard Pat Connaughton to the Blazers in exchange for the rights to No. 23 pick Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Steve Blake.
- The Clippers acquired the rights to No. 56 pick Branden Dawson from New Orleans in exchange for cash.
- The Bucks acquired Greivis Vasquez from the Raptors in exchange for the rights to Norman Powell and the Clippers’ 2017 first-round pick.
- The Wizards acquired the rights to Kelly Oubre from the Hawks in exchange for the rights to Jerian Grant. The Hawks then acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Knicks in exchange for the rights to Grant.
- The Thunder sent Jeremy Lamb to the Hornets in exchange for Ridnour and a conditional 2016 second round pick.
Pending Signings
- The Sixers intend to sign former Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell to a free agent contract. The deal includes a partial guarantee.
- The Rockets agreed to a free agent deal with UNLV forward Christian Wood, who’s also receiving a partial guarantee.
Option Decisions
- LeBron James is turning down his player option worth more than $21.573MM, and doesn’t plan to immediately re-sign with the Cavs, preferring to wait and see how the team goes about its other business in July.
- Arron Afflalo turned down a $7.75MM player option for next season to become a free agent this summer.
- The Rockets exercised their team option on Kostas Papanikolaou.
- Goran Dragic turned down his $7.5MM player option for next season.
- Brook Lopez opted out of his deal with the Nets and will become a free agent this offseason.
- Kevin Love opted out of his contract with the Cavaliers and will become a free agent.
- Wizards forward Paul Pierce is opting out of his deal with the team for the 2015/16 campaign.
- J.R. Smith opted out of his deal with the Cavaliers.
- Mavs point guard Raymond Felton exercised his $3.9MM player option for next season.
- Monta Ellis opted out of his deal with the Mavericks.
- Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson opted out of his $2.85MM player option for the upcoming season.
- David West decided to turn down his $12.6MM player option with the Pacers to become a free agent.
- The Cavs picked up their $4.95MM team option on Timofey Mozgov.
- Thaddeus Young opted out of his deal with the Nets for 2015/16.
- Lakers forward Ed Davis declined his player option for the 2015/16 campaign and will become an unrestricted free agent.
- Brandon Rush picked up his minimum-salary player option with the Warriors.
- Mavs forward Al-Farouq Aminu opted out of his deal and will become a free agent.
- Roy Hibbert opted in for next season with the Pacers.
Qualifying Offers
- The Pistons tendered a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683 to Reggie Jackson, making him a restricted free agent this summer.
- The Nuggets tendered Will Barton a qualifying offer worth $1,181,348, making the guard a restricted free agent this offseason.
News/Rumors
- The Lakers and Dwyane Wade reportedly have mutual interest if Wade were to leave the Heat this offseason.
- George Karl reportedly has an intense desire for the Kings to trade DeMarcus Cousins, and he and some members of the team’s front office have expressed to executives and coaches from other teams that they hope to have owner Vivek Ranadive’s blessing to trade the All-Star soon.
- The Heat reportedly plan on making a five-year offer of more than $80MM to retain Goran Dragic. Miami is also reportedly shopping Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen in an attempt to clear salary that they could use on a new contract for Wade, though team president Pat Riley denies this.
- Free agent center Greg Oden worked out for the Hornets, Grizzlies and Mavericks with the hope of landing a deal.
- Euroleague guard Daniel Hackett is voiding his contract with Emporio Armani Milano in order to pursue an NBA contract.
- The Pacers‘ Donald Sloan, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, has switched agents and is now represented by Byron Irvin and Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports.
- The Kings have reportedly expressed strong interest in signing free agent big man JaVale McGee.
- The NBPA is reportedly looking into the Sixers for any possible breach of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
- The Suns have discussed Eric Bledsoe trade scenarios with other teams, including the Knicks, and are likely to continue to do so after the draft.
- The Celtics were reportedly looking to trade Marcus Smart and the 16th and 28th picks in this year’s draft to the Sixers for Nerlens Noel and the No. 3 pick, but the Sixers were uninterested.
- David West is reportedly likely to sign with the Knicks when he becomes eligible to do so after the July Moratorium.
- The Kings and soon-to-be free agent Rajon Rondo have mutual interest, as the idea of signing a one-year deal with Sacramento to rehabilitate his value around the league intrigues the point guard.
- Unrestricted free agent Wesley Matthews will reportedly seek a multi-year deal that pays approximately $15MM annually.
- The Mavericks are reportedly targeting soon-to-be free agent Danny Green this offseason.
- Private equity mogul Tony Ressler and his partners have officially assumed control of the Hawks after receiving unanimous Board of Governors approval.
- The Celtics plan to pursue Pierce and Robin Lopez as complementary players to sell Love on the idea of signing with Boston.
- The Raptors will have a D-League expansion team stationed in nearby Mississauga for the 2015/16 season.
- The Nuggets‘ plan for Serbian point guard Nikola Radicevic is for him to remain overseas next season with Sevilla in Spain’s Liga ACB.
- The Rockets and Kings are expected to be among the teams with interest when Rodney Stuckey hits free agency next week.
- Mavs GM Donnie Nelson indicated that No. 52 overall pick Satnam Singh will play with the D-League’s Texas Legends this coming season.
- The Bucks are reportedly interested in soon-to-be restricted free agent Enes Kanter.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 6/26/15
Some of the greatest joys of being a sports fan, besides your favorite team winning the championship, are the debates that arise between fellow sports nuts along the way. It’s with this in mind that we have begun providing a forum for basketball fanatics to voice their opinions, debate trending topics, and simply hang out with like-minded hoops aficionados. We’ve begun been posting a new topic for readers to discuss each weeknight, which we hope that this will become a regular part of your sports day. If you missed our previous discussions you can view them here, or simply head over to the sidebar and select “Hoops Rumors Community Shootarounds.”
Of course, there will be differing opinions from time to time. While we absolutely encourage lively discussion and debate, we do expect everyone to treat each other with respect. So, please refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults or attacks, as well as the other taboo types of discourse laid out in our site’s commenting policy. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Hoops Rumors. Just put in your name, email address, and comment and submit it; there is no need to become a registered user.
Now that the preamble has been taken care of, on to the topic of the day: Who was the most surprising pick in the 2015 NBA Draft?
With the 2015 NBA Draft now complete it’s time to begin critiquing all of the selections. Whose name being called surprised you the most? Was it the Knicks’ selection of Kristaps Porizingis with the No. 4 overall pick? Perhaps the Celtics taking Terry Rozier at No. 16? Or was it another player who you feel had his name called too high or too low during Thursday night’s big event? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and express your opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
Pacific Notes: Speights, Davis, Looney
The Warriors are leaning toward exercising their 2015/16 team option for big man Marreese Speights, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com relays. “He was good for us, so I think we’re inclined to,” GM Bob Myers said. “We’ve just got to meet tomorrow to discuss those options . . . I would think we’re leaning that way. But we haven’t committed to it. We haven’t talked to his agent and decided it 100 percent.” Speights is set to earn $3,815,000 for next season, and Golden State has until Wednesday to make a decision regarding the 27-year-old’s contract.
Here’s the latest out of the Pacific Division:
- There is mutual interest between the team and forward Ed Davis for him to return to the Lakers next season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 26-year-old declined his player option for next season, and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Davis appeared in 79 contests for Los Angeles during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 8.3 points and 7.6 rebounds.
- Warriors first-round draft pick Kevon Looney is extremely versatile, and that’s what appealed to the team about the UCLA forward, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. “Drafting a player like Kevon who has a lot of different skill sets really speaks to the way we play, the way we want to play,” Myers said. “He could be out there playing five, the four, or three. That’s the way we think the NBA is trending, being able to employ multiple skill sets. Coaches love guys that can be placed in many different positions, and Kevon’s a great example of that.”
- The Suns intend to keep Jon Leuer, who they acquired from the Grizzlies on Thursday in exchange for the rights to Andrew Harrison, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter link). Leuer’s salary of $1,035,000 for 2015/16 becomes guaranteed if he remains on Phoenix’s roster past Tuesday, Coro notes.
Northwest Notes: Mudiay, Radicevic, Towns
The first round selection of Emmanuel Mudiay on Thursday night all but assures that Ty Lawson‘s time with the Nuggets is up, Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post writes. Denver feels fortunate that the young point guard fell to them at the No. 7 overall pick, and the team acknowledges that Mudiay’s limitations as a shooter are why he was still on the board that late in the lottery, Kiszla notes. “If he had a jumper, we’re not getting him. He’s No. 1, with a bullet,” Nuggets GM Tim Connelly said. “His shot’s not broken. He’s confident. And he’s a worker.” Connelly insisted that Mudiay and Lawson could exist in the same backcourt, saying “Absolutely. Excited about it,” when the prospect was brought up. But the team shouldn’t risk exposing Mudiay to the potentially negative influence that Lawson could provide, and must find a trade partner to facilitate the veteran’s departure from Denver, Kiszla opines.
Here’s the latest out of the Northwest Division:
- The Thunder had been making a push to acquire the No. 12 pick from the Jazz before the draft, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).
- The Nuggets‘ plan for Serbian point guard Nikola Radicevic is for him to remain overseas next season with Sevilla in Spain’s Liga ACB, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post tweets. Denver selected Radicevic with the No. 57 overall pick on Thursday night.
- Karl-Anthony Towns was the Timberwolves‘ primary target in the draft from day one, writes Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune. Minnesota coach/executive Flip Saunders believes that the 2015 No. 1 overall pick has only scratched the surface of his ability, Hartman notes. “The thing about Towns is he has great versatility, I mean, he handles the basketball extremely well for a guy that is just under 7-foot,” Saunders said. “He is a two-way player. He can block shots and score offensively. He didn’t show it in college, because [Kentucky coach John] Calipari didn’t ask him to do it, but he’s a very, very good perimeter-type shooter. So I just think his versatility, and then he’s very charismatic.“
Sixers To Sign T.J. McConnell
The Sixers intend to sign former Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell to a free agent deal, Bruce Pascoe of The Arizona Daily Star reports. The deal includes McConnell playing summer league ball for the team, as well as a training camp invite, Pascoe notes. Also included in the deal is what McConnell’s agent, Chris Emens, said is a partial salary guarantee, Pascoe relays. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter) confirmed the team’s deal with the guard, as well as a partial guarantee worth six figures. The earliest any deal can be finalized is Wednesday.
Emens told Pascoe that all 15 teams McConnell worked out for invited him to play summer ball and that his client might have been drafted had he agreed to be a “draft-and-stash” second-rounder who would be sent directly to the D-League with no chance of making the NBA club. “We didn’t want to do that and we knew we had a lot of demand, so we were able to parlay that into a significant deal,” Emens said. “He had a very, very good predraft process. … Coaches love him. He’s so intense and hardcore, and he makes others better.”
“T.J. said he had a good feeling about a couple of teams, and Philadelphia was one of them,” Tim McConnell, T.J.’s father, said. “He’s going to give it a shot and see what happens. The worst thing that can happen is he goes to the D-League.”
McConnell appeared in 38 games for the Wildcats last season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, with a shooting line of .498/.321/.829. He began his career at Duquesne, and in 139 total NCAA games McConnell’s numbers are 10.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG.